Something to Talk About
by Sultry Sweet
Summary: MAJOR SEASON 3 SPOILERS. Maura finally meets her biological mother and it's more trouble than she imagined. Thankfully, she's got her best friend Jane to help her through her personal woes...that is, until Jane is one of her personal woes. RIZZLES, M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**_Made a slight change to this chapter about Hope's family life according to the show's information about her as far as 3x05 goes.  
_**

* * *

I dug a cork screw into a new bottle of wine on the kitchen island while Maura approached her biological mother, Dr. Hope Martin, in the foyer.

"Hope, there's something I have to tell you," Maura nervously stated as she picked at her cuticles.

I was about to pull out the cork when I heard her say those words and in an instant, I froze with my fingers tightened around the top of the cork screw.

Suddenly, dishes crashed into the sink and caused everyone to jump. Maura, Hope, and I all turned to look at my mother who cringed and slowly looked back at her audience.

"Ma" I spoke through gritted teeth.

"Sorry," my mother spoke to the room and forced an embarrassed smile as she looked from me to Maura and Hope.

I whipped my head around and forced a smile of my own.

"We'll give you two some privacy," I said.

I yanked the cork out of the bottle and nervously laughed.

Hope looked at Maura with confusion when she and I made eye contact.

I mouthed "I'm sorry" to Maura and faced my mother.

"Grab the wine gasses and let's go," I whispered through tight lips.

"Oh-kay," my mother slowly whispered back as she stared at me with wide eyes and grabbed two glasses.

I guided my mother out of the kitchen and into Maura's bedroom. If I truly wanted to give Maura and Hope privacy, the best place to go would have been the guest house, but a good friend always eavesdrops.

I shut the door behind my mother, the wine still in one hand, and turned toward her. I quickly poured the wine into the glasses before my mother had much time to process what was happening.

I set the bottle on Maura's nightstand and took one of the glasses from my mother as she instinctively offered one. I turned toward the door and slid up against it, my ear pressed to the white finish of the wood.

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli! Where are your manners," my mother looked upset as she angrily whispered. "Move over so I can hear too."

I rolled my eyes and stepped aside for my mother. We shared the door as we waited and listened intently to figure out what was going on outside the room.

"Um...maybe you should...sit down for this," Maura timidly informed Hope.

"Okay," Hope warily replied.

I heard footsteps approaching the room, but they stopped short after a small time frame. I assumed they were in the living room, but I could barely tell what the hell was happening from behind a closed door.

With eyes wide in anticipation, I took my first sip of wine. I thought I heard Maura sigh before she spoke again.

"Hope..." she trailed off.

I hurried to set my glass on the nightstand next to the bottle and felt my mother's eyes on me as I wrapped a hand around the door knob.

"Jane! What e you doing," she continued to whisper.

"Back up," I forcefully whispered in response.

"Wha-"

I didn't give my mother any time to verbalize how she felt as she jumped away from the door when I quietly pulled it open a crack. I peaked outside to see Hope sitting on the couch in the living room. She looked up at Maura as she paced the length of the coffee table over and over again.

I bit my bottom lip and tensed up. I wanted things to go over well for Maura, but if they didn't I'd be right beside her with a box of tissues and open arms.

"I don't know how to tell you this. I've never been good at personal matters, but...well, I just...I think...you deserve to know...that I'm...glad to have met you."

I closed my eyes and sighed before I hit my head against the door frame in defeat.

"Oh," I could hear the smile in Hope's voice. "Well, I'm glad to have met you as well."

I opened my eyes and watched Hope stand.

"It's been such a pleasure working with you. In fact, I'd love it if you would join my daughter Kailyn and I for dinner tomorrow."

Maura smiled.

"I'd love to," she said.

"Great," Hope said as she pulled out a small notepad and a pen from her purse. "Here's my address. You'll have to excuse the mess, I'm afraid."

Hope tore out the paper and handed it to Maura. Maura accepted it with a smile.

"There were a few problem areas in the house that I immediately started to renovate. Bits of dry wall are everywhere," she lightly laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll be fine," Maura replied.

"So nice of you to say that. If you'd like, feel free to bring your friend Detective Rizzoli with you. I'm sure my daughter would love to meet her."

"Oh...your daughter is interested in law enforcement?"

"A bit, but it's Jane's personality I think she'll appreciate most. I see a lot of it in my daughter."

"Then she'll be there," Maura's smile spread as she gave a single nod.

"Good," Hope beamed as she headed toward the door. "Dinner should be ready around seven or eight. You're welcome to come over any time after six."

"I look forward to it," Maura said as she walked Hope to the door.

"See you tomorrow night, Dr. Isles," Hope said as Maura opened the door for her.

"Good night, Dr. Martin," Maura willed herself to say.

Hope left and as Maura closed the front door, I opened her bedroom door. I walked out with a sympathetic expression while my mother slowly inched along with sad eyes and frowned.

"Oh, Maura. Why didn't you tell her," I asked as I met her between the living room and kitchen and placed my hands on her shoulders.

"I can't do that to her. She won't miss me as a daughter anyway. She never knew me as her daughter. Why put her through that pain again?"

Maura started to cry and I almost joined her.

"It's okay," I cooed as I pulled her into me.

I wrapped my arms around her back and started to soothingly rub it with one hand

"Do you want me to sty the night" I asked as I held her close.

She took a deep yet fractured breath. She nodded against me as she used one hand to pull my unruly hair out o f her face.

She clutched me for dear life and began to weep. I painfully sighed at the feeling of her heartache and refused to let her go.

"Okay," I started. "I'm gonna stay, all right? Anything you want, anything you need. I'm here."

"Thank you," she weakly spoke.

My mother tapped me on the shoulder and walked behind Maura to make eye contact with me.

"I'll be in the guest house if anybody needs anything from me. I'll see you girls in the morning."

My mother rubbed a hand against Maura's back and stepped around to face Maura as she and I broke out of our embrace.

"Love you," she told Maura and leaned in.

She gave Maura a peck on the cheek as she kept her hand on Maura's back until she pulled away from us. She nodded at me in mom-code, which I understood to mean, "Take care of her."

I nodded back and watched my mother head out to the guest house.

"Come on," I softly spoke as I signaled with my head toward the bedroom. "You'll feel better in the morning."

She nodded.

"Okay."

I couldn't stop myself from taking her hand and guiding her into her own bedroom. It came naturally, like muscle memory even though I'd never done it before that moment. My mind might not have known what to do for Maura, but my heart and body certainly seemed to.

I closed the door behind Maura as she went straight to the bed and allowed her knees to give.

She looked so sad and in pain. No matter what I did, I knew I would feel helpless until the matter was resolved, or at least until I saw her genuine and unreserved smile.

"Here," I handed her my glass of wine.

She accepted it and released a long breath I was unaware she'd held until that moment. She took a sip and looked down at the floor as she pulled the glass away from her lips.

I sat down next to her and ignored the untouched glass of wine originally intended for my mother. I rested a hand on Maura's thigh and looked from my hand up to Maura's wistful green eyes as she met my gaze.

"What if she hates me? What if I remind her of Doyle and she wants nothing to do with me?"

"That's impossible, Maura," I calmly said. "Why can't you see the amazing woman I see?"

"It's physically impossible to see through your eyes unless I was you, in which case, I couldn't be me and therefore wouldn't see through your eyes. I'd see with mi-"

"Slow down, Maurapedia," I smiled and lightly chuckled. "I'll tell you what I see. I see a smart, determined medical examiner I consider to be a great friend of mine. You're beautiful and goofy and know things most people don't. And in all the time I've known you, you've become less antisocial and a bigger part of my family than I could've ever imagined. It's hard for anyone not to love you."

We stared at each other in complete silence for the longest moment of my life.

She shyly, uncomfortably broke eye contact and squirmed away as she placed her glass on the nightstand.

She cleared her throat and repositioned herself to lay down on her side of the bed.

I risked her getting upset with me and climbed over her legs to reach the other side of the bed.

She didn't protest.

I laid on my right side to face her as she lay flat on her back, eyes fixated on the ceiling.

I wanted to take her hand in mine and squeeze it, but I knew she needed space to process things.

I laid there and occasionally checked to see if she'd fallen asleep yet. I wouldn't fall asleep until I knew she was out of her head and in Dreamland.

Unfortunately, three hours passed and she softly started to cry. I watched a few tears fall down her cheek. Whether she'd completely processed everything or not, I did the only thing I could do to keep control of my sanity.

I scooted closer to her and used my left index finger to wipe away a freshly falling tear.

Her breath hitched and she turned her head to look at me.

"Did I wake you," she whispered.

"No."

"It's late. You should get some sleep," she explained.

"I'm fine. It's you that should sleep."

"I can't."

I took a moment to stare into those alluring and hurt eyes of hers.

"Close your eyes," I said.

"Jane-"

"Please," I coolly begged.

She looked me over before she obliged and closed her eyes.

"Picture your favorite place in the world or a place that relaxes you."

I waited as I listened to her breathing.

"Do you see it," I asked.

She nodded.

"I'm there."

"Good. Now..breathe in."

She inhaled.

"Breathe out."

She exhaled.

"Again."

Her breathing slowed and her hands gracefully fell from over her stomach down to her sides.

"Focus on the sound of your breathing. Feel your body melting into the mattress like fudge clusters melting in their box on a hot day."

"Hmm," she moaned before her lips delicately parted like rose petals expanding in bloom.

"Where you are...there's something happening. Something good, something you like. ...You're at peace."

The corners of her mouth curled into a smile and I subtly glowed at the heart warming sight.

"You feel yourself melting again," I continued. "Your muscles relax, your brain shuts off, your heartbeat is steady, and all you see is what's in front of you now, your happy place."

I observed her as she exhaled slowly and her hand lay palm up, unclenched beside her.

"Maura," I soothingly called to her though I didn't expect a response.

She didn't say anything. She only breathed calmly, deeply.

I smiled and slowly closed my eyes.

"Goodnight, Maura."

* * *

I groaned as the new day's light hit my face. I rubbed my eyes and stretched in the bed before I realized the heavenly feel of a mattress I knew couldn't be mine.

I looked to my left with a confused expression and saw Maura sound asleep. I smiled and remembered where I was and why before I carefully sat up, trying not to wake her.

She sharply inhaled and sighed as she rolled onto her left side, which faced my side of the bed.

I nervously looked behind me as I sat on the edge of the bed and waited to see if she stirred. She didn't. I sighed with relief and faced forward again. I took a moment to stare at the wall in front of me before I stood and headed to the bathroom.

I washed my face and borrowed Maura's brush to my hair of its tangles. As I inspected myself one last time in the mirror, a smell wafted through the air vents.

I scrunched up my face in wonder and confusion as I opened the bathroom door. I crossed the bedroom and kept my eye on Maura as I made my way to the door. Thankfully, she never woke.

I walked out of the room and went straight to the kitchen. I was surprised to see my mother cooking on the stove.

"Ma, what are you doin'," I quietly asked.

"What, I thought I'd make Maura pancakes to cheer her up."

"Really," I said in an annoyed tone.

"You know, some people actually appreciate my animal shaped pancakes."

"Animal shaped? Try bunny shaped. You only ever make one animal."

A door closed in the distance and my mother and I looked to see Maura sleepily round the corner into the kitchen.

"Aw, Maura, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to wake you," I explained.

"It wasn't you," she shook her head. "I smelled food and figured I overslept."

"There's no such thing as oversleeping," my mother said as she removed the pan from the stove. "Only getting enough rest to properly function for the day ahead."

"Really, because I recall you used to literally drag me out of bed by my ankles if it was even a minute after ten A.M."

Maura lightly smiled.

My mother frowned.

"Don't make me middle name you, Jane Rizzoli," my mother warned with a spatula covered with stray bits of pancake.

I rolled my eyes.

"I made some pancakes for you," my mother smiled at Maura.

"For me?"

"I remember you said my bunny pancakes were cute so I thought they'd make a nice breakfast this morning."

"Oh, well, thank you, Angela," her smile widened and she showed some teeth.

She eased onto a stool at the kitchen island and reached out to take the plate my mother slid across the counter top.

"Thanks," Maura said again and picked up the fork that used to rest on the plate.

My mother handed her a knife and she gracefully grabbed it before she began to cut her first piece of her pancake. I smiled as I watched her eat, but caught myself before my mother could notice.

I cleared my throat and invaded Maura's personal space. I gently placed a hand on Maura's shoulder and gave it a quick rub.

"I think we should go for a run," I suggested. "What you say?"

Maura looked up at me as she finished cutting another piece.

"I don't feel up to it today, Jane. Sorry," she sweetly but sadly said before she looked down at her plate again.

She took another bite.

"You're always telling me that a rush of endorphins from physical activities are good for depression and several other negative things in a person's life. Why not take your own advice?"

"I don't think it'll help. That's all."

"Okay, Maura, I'm not pushing, but I think you should at least try to go running with me. That or do yoga and you know how much I hate yoga."

She looked up at me and I smiled in faith that she would smile back. After a moment of uninterrupted eye contact, she did.

"We can go running."

My smile spread from ear to ear.

"Yay," I softly but happily exclaimed as I did a little dance to show my joyousness.

Maura shook her head and lightly laughed.

My mother smiled at me as she looked from Maura to me. When I made eye contact with her, she winked at me and nodded with the same mom-code she used to communicate with me earlier.

I sat down on the stool beside Maura and waited for her to finish her breakfast. As I waited, my mother slid a plate across the island for me. I looked up and smiled at her.

"Thanks," I said before I started to dig in.

* * *

I tried to pace myself as Maura and I jogged around the local park not too far from her house, but I couldn't keep up with her.

"I'm all for running out your anger and frustration and everything," I panted. "But you've got to slow down."

I almost keeled over to take a break, but Maura wouldn't quit and I wouldn't leave her. I nearly killed myself as I picked up my pace until I matched her rhythm, the two of us side by side.

"I need to release more endorphins. It's not working. I want this to work."

"Okay...okay," I barely managed to say. "How about...we race...yeah?"

She quizzically looked at me.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," I said, almost completely out of breath.

"Okay. To the playground?"

I nodded with a pained expression painted clear across my face.

"Okay! One, two..."

"Three," I huffed.

We both took off in a full sprint and turned with the curves of the concrete we ran on. I pushed myself harder than I ever had before and tried to give her good enough competition to motivate her. I needed her to reach her endorphin high. I wanted things to work out for the best. I couldn't stand seeing her hurt and whatever we did together was all I could control.

I ran a few feet in front of her to spark playful aggression in her. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her kicking up dirt in a hurry and knew I'd driven her to win. I smiled to myself in a mini-celebration for my small victory. I took those victories, no matter the size, as they came every single time.

I slowed down, eighty percent because I was going to let her win and twenty percent because I was about to pass out from overexertion. She caught up to me and took a moment to meet my gaze. Then she sped off, the two of us not far from our final destination.

In a flash, Maura ran onto the playground's wood chips and slowed down before she interrupted the kids playing on the jungle gym.

It took me less than two seconds to slow myself to a complete stop. I immediately placed my hands on my knees and bent over. I coughed and spit as I felt Maura approach. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as she rested a concerned hand on my shoulder.

"Are you all right," she asked with a frown as she tried to meet my eyes.

"Mm-hm," I nodded with a sickly expression.

I felt like throwing up, but I wouldn't let her know that. My body, on the other hand, had no problem doing just that.

"Maybe you should sit down," Maura suggested.

"No, no, I just..."

I uncontrollably wobbled my way into her.

She instinctively yet awkwardly wrapped her arms around me to catch me.

"Okay," I spoke into her stomach. "Maybe I should sit down."

Maura chuckled and helped me over to one of the nearby benches. She sat me down and joined me on the bench.

I simultaneously grunted and sighed as I tipped over. My head connected with her shoulder and I closed my eyes.

She felt soft and comforting. I didn't want to leave her side even if that were physically possible at that point, which it wasn't.

"How did you do," I breathlessly asked her as I opened my eyes.

"What do you mean," she asked.

In her voice, I could hear the puzzled expression she displayed.

"Did you feel that sense of relief?"

"Oh, from the endorphins. Oh, yes. I still feel a little off, though. But I can't figure out what's causing it."

I sighed and slowly closed my eyes in defeat.

"Yoga it is."

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_**Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review and let me know what you think.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Made slight changes to the first chapter according to the information on the show as far as 3x05. Hope doesn't have a husband and I mentioned the daughter's name in the revised part of the previous chapter. Enjoy. _**

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I stood outside with Maura as I waited for her to ring the doorbell, but she only stood there gasping every other breath as she had an internal debate about what to do.

"Oh, come on, Maura," I ordered in a whiny tone brought on by impatience.

"I'm sorry, Jane. I can't. I can't do this."

"Sure you can," I tried to sound calming, an urgency still in my voice. "All you have to do is ring the doorbell and eat!"

"You know it's not that simple," she said as she turned to me.

I sighed.

"I get it, okay. But...Maur, it's just dinner."

"But you said I need to tell her."

"Yes, you _should _tell her...but if you're not ready then you should wait until you are. I promise not to pressure you, okay?"

She looked from me to the door then back at me. She took a deep breath and nodded as she released it.

"Okay," she said.

She turned back toward the door and stared at it with her arms crossed at her waist.

I arched an eyebrow and frowned as I looked her over for a moment. I scoffed and rolled my eyes as I reached for the doorbell and pressed it.

"Wait," Maura looked at me with wide eyes.

She looked scared.

"What," I asked through gritted teeth.

"This was a bad idea. I can't go in there and have dinner with my moth-"

The door opened to reveal a smiling and well dressed Dr. Hope Martin. I smiled back to be polite and hoped Maura followed by example if she wasn't socially smart enough to figure out it was the right thing to do for herself.

"Dr. Isles and Detective Rizzoli, so nice of you to come," Hope's smile brightened.

"Oh, you can call me Jane," I gingerly corrected her. "And I'm sure Dr. Isles here wouldn't mind if you called her Maura either."

"What," Maura asked as she appeared lost. "Oh. Right."

Maura smiled at Hope and nodded.

Hope stepped aside and motioned for us to come inside. I took her up on the offer first.

Maura followed in tow and made sure to smile along the way.

"Thank you for inviting us," she spoke up behind me as Hope shut the door.

The three of us headed into the kitchen where the table was set and the food was ready. A smaller ash-blond woman sat at the table and beamed when she saw us.

"Hi," she stood and held out her hand. "My mom has told me quite a few things about the two of you."

She shook my hand.

"So nice to meet you. I'm Kailyn," she said with a firm handshake and twinkling hazel-green eyes.

"Jane," I said as I continued to smile. "And this is Maura."

I pointed back at Maura and got her to look at something other than Hope for once. Sometimes Maura stared and I had run out of excuses for her odd behavior.

"Hello," Maura nervously greeted her as she held out her hand.

Kailyn shook it and looked between the two of us.

"Hi. Gosh, I feel like I'm in the presence of celebrities or something," she said.

I gave her a once over and noted her choice of attire. She wore nice clothes, near Sunday's best, but there was a casual, free-flow feel to her outfit. The clothes fit her smile and posture, but they were somewhat loose on her. If she had a late night soccer game with some friends later, she could easily play in the outfit she wore. Black dress pants and an almost forest green V-cut T-shirt and it looked good on her.

I looked quizzically at her forearm before I realized what I was looking at. She had a tattoo.

"You have a lot of those," I asked as I pointed to her ink.

"Oh," she pulled her arm away as if she were trying to conceal it. "No. Just the one."

Hope approached Kailyn and stood as though she outranked everyone in the room, though she did smile.

"That was a birthday gift to herself this year," Hope mentioned.

"Yeah, I was feeling a little rebellious."

"Well, that's cool," I said. "I felt like that a lot in my house. My parents always drove me crazy and all I ever wanted to do was run off somewhere for some alone time."

"She's tried that before," Hope lightly chuckled.

Kailyn smiled.

"I was only trying to find myself. I felt way too sheltered here. Anything I learned about society just seemed to be read straight out of a book. I wanted to experience it first hand,"she explained.

"And now she'll get to do that even more when she goes off to college this fall."

"Wow," I said.

Maura stared at Kailyn for a moment. She almost seemed lost in the girls' eyes.

"That's great," I continued as I tried to give Maura time to adjust. "Where are you going?"

"I'm still not sure, but thankfully I got in everywhere I applied and there are really only three schools I'd love to attend."

"BCU, Columbia, and Harvard," Hope answered my next question before I could even ask it.

"Fantastic," my smile spread from ear to ear. "Why Harvard?"

"Criminal defense attorney," she smiled.

"Ah."

She nodded.

"We should sit down and discuss this over the dinner that's starting to get cold," Hope chimed in.

I looked back at Maura after Kailyn took her seat and I raised both eyebrows at Maura in a silent question. She broke her fixation on Kailyn and nodded a moment after she made eye contact with me.

"Okay," I whispered, though I didn't mean to vocalize it.

I placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her to the table. I let her take her seat first before I sat in the one beside her.

Hope took her place at the head of the table and leaned over to grab a covered plate.

"I hope you like Italian. Kailyn has been craving it for weeks now," Hope smiled as she picked up one of the dishes, served herself, and passed it to Maura who sat to her right.

"Italian is fine," Maura smiled. "That seems to be a food we have a lot."

She nodded at her own admission and looked at Hope with a smile before she glanced at me.

I smiled back at her, happy to even see a smile on her soft, delicate face.

"It's Jane, right," Kailyn spoke again after a small pause.

"Yes," I smiled at her.

"What made you choose law enforcement?"

"Well,"I started. "I protect people. I always have and I always will. It's in my nature to make sure no one gets hurt, but if they do get hurt, I can still protect their memories. I can still protect their families hearts and I can still protect others that may be a murder's next victim by putting the criminals behind bars. Every law enforcement officer makes a promise to protect and serve. Who better to do that than someone who's already a protector?"

Kailyn nodded.

"Nice," she said.

She seemed riveted, maybe even blown away, by what I said.

"That's why I want to be a defense attorney. To make sure a detective's work is recognized and carried out through the courts. Someone's got to do it and I know I'd do everything I could to make it possible."

"That's great. That's why you applied to Harvard. Why BCU and Columbia?"

"I also appreciate the art of science, social and non-social. If I were to go to BCU, I'd study to be a pediatrician. At Columbia, I'd major in Psychology."

"Smart...just like your mother," I said but looked at Maura.

I wanted to mention how similar she was to her half-sister, but that would have to be some other time, if Maura ever got the courage to confess.

Maura passed the food to me and I served myself before I handed the plate over to Kailyn. Once the four of us had plenty on our own plates, we scarfed it all down like we hadn't had a meal in days. Occasionally, one of us would have an empty mouth and a curious mind, a combination that lead to conversations without a doubt.

"You must like children if you want to be a pediatrician," Maura spoke up for once as she looked up from her plate to Kailyn.

"I do," Kailyn smiled. "I used to babysit a few times a week for some of the neighbors and their kids always made me smile. They're so young and full of life. They really give living a different meaning."

Maura smiled and nodded.

"What about you? I know you're a medical examiner, but...what are your thoughts about kids?"

"It's definitely something I want. They can change your perspective on everything without you even realizing it and that excites me."

"Really," I asked, genuinely stunned.

"Yes," she frowned. "What do you look so surprised?"

"Because you like science. You enjoy constants and numbers and specifics. Kids are messy and you're...not."

"Well, that's the kind of mess I'd like to live with in the future. Sometimes I think, if I had a child, maybe I wouldn't have to be so precise and that would be okay."

Her eyes lit up as a small, angelic smile appeared across her face.

I slowly started to feel the corners of my mouth curl into a smile of their own at the sight.

Hope started to tear up and sob a bit. She used her napkin to dab away the tears before they had a chance to fall.

"That's how I felt about Kailyn. She was my miracle and I've never seen things the same way since she was born."

I cringed at Hope's words knowing they'd stung Maura. I wanted to jump up on the table and say how I felt about Maura, that she was the real miracle. She had a criminal for a father, a man that grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, and a brilliant mother that was told Maura died at birth. After being adopted and on her own for most of her childhood, she turned out to be one great person. She was smart and made me laugh even when she didn't try. Life had dealt her a shitty hand of cards, but learning everything she had about her personal life and what she'd learned in her professional life, she'd remained resilient.

"Oh, please, Mom," Kailyn started. "I wasn't much of a miracle. You're just saying that becau-"

Suddenly, Kailyn struggled to breath. She looked as puzzled as the rest of us as she tried to regulate her breathing, but she only wheezed.

She tried to stand up, but her legs wobbled until they gave underneath her.

"Oh my god," Hope jumped out of her chair and flew over to Kailyn.

Maura and I shot out our chairs and followed Hope's lead as we immediately ran to Kailyn.

"What's wrong with her," I asked as I looked between Maura and Hope.

"I don't know," Hope answered as she turned her daughter onto her side to comfort her.

Maura looked quizzically at Kailyn as the eighteen year old squirmed on the floor. She opened Kailyn's slowly closing eyes and analyzed them. She then looked at Kailyn's legs and then her throat.

"We need to get her to a hospital."

"What is it," Hope asked in a panic. "What's wrong?"

"I'm not one hundred percent sure."

"But you have an idea?"

"Yes, but I-"

"Then what is it?"

I watched as the doctor part of Hope died and the worried mother came out. She neglected all her years of medical training and relied on Maura to tell her something I knew Maura would never tell her if she wasn't completely sure she would be right.

"I'd only be guessing."

"Then guess! Please, this is my daughter!"

"Hope, I don't have time to guess. You don't have time for me to guess and your daughter doesn't have time for me to guess. We need to get her to the hospital now before whatever this might be gets worse."

Maura started to pick up Kailyn, but the girl was mostly dead weight in Maura's arms. I grabbed one of Kailyn's arms and started to pull her to her feet along with Maura.

"Come on, Kailyn. You've got to help us out here," I begged her as she depended on Maura and I to lift her up.

She weakly stood, but didn't seem to have the energy to walk.

"We can take my car," Maura struggled to say as she used all the muscle she had to support Kailyn.

"Okay," I struggled almost as much as her to talk as we dragged Kailyn to the front door.

Hope trailed behind us and helped us lay Kailyn in the backseat. Hope took whatever space she could to sit next to Kailyn as she cradled her daughter's head in her lap.

I rushed into the passenger's seat as Maura started the car. Within a few seconds, Maura sped off.

* * *

Hope sat in despair while Maura stood alert and worried. She gently hit her fingers against her palm in wait as I brought her a water from the vending machine.

"Are you gonna be okay," I asked as I handed her the bottle.

She shook her head.

"This is awful. If it's as serious as I think it might be, there will never be a right time to tell Hope."

"Oh, Maura. You can't worry about that now."

"That's not what I'm really worried about," she threw up a dismissive hand. "That's my sister in there and something's wrong with her. I'm scared, Jane. I've never had a sister before and now, the only one I have could be very sick. I don't want to lose her. She's got her whole life ahead of her."

"I know. I know," I cooed as I pulled her into a hug.

She took a deep breath and released it in a sigh the moment her chin rested on my shoulder.

I noticed a doctor looking over a clipboard after he rounded a corner and headed toward us. I kept my eye on him as he quickly discussed something with a nurse then looked up and made eye contact with me as he approached.

"Are you Kailyn Martin's family," he asked me.

Maura pulled away from me and wiped away tears that had just started to tremble down her cheeks.

"That's her mother there," Maura pointed back at Hope who sprung up with wide eyes and a slack jaw.

"How is she," Hope asked as she joined Maura and I in front of the doctor.

"It appears one of your daughter's kidneys is failing and the other is severely infected, Mrs. Martin."

"It's Doctor Martin," she corrected.

I looked apologetically at the doctor before I spoke up.

"So she'll need a transplant," I asked.

"I'm afraid so," he gravely answered.

"Oh god," Hope placed a hand over her heart.

"Have you put her on the list already," Maura asked.

"No, but that's only because we request the family provide blood samples to see if they're a match. So, Doctor Martin, whenever you're ready-"

"I'll get tested now. I should be a match, right? I'm her mother. I'll be a match."

The doctor nodded.

"If you'll follow me-"

He didn't have to finish his sentence before she began to walk with him.

I turned to Maura as she started to shake her head.

"Kidney failure. I knew it was something that serious," she started to cry.

"Hey, Hope's getting tested and she'll have to be a match. Kailyn will get the kidney and everything will work out."

She walked into my arms and I hugged her again.

"And you know it has to be the truth because I won't tell you it's gonna be okay when I don't know that it will."

She laughed a little through her tears.

"You wouldn't lie to me, right?"

"Never," I honestly answered.

She squeezed me tight and I closed my eyes to conceal the pain I felt for her.

After a few minutes, she collected herself and backed out of the hug.

I let her go and tried to meet her eyes.

She looked up at me and sniffled. She stared at me and for a moment, I recognized the sight of the cogs turning in her brain. She had an idea.

"Excuse me," she tried to get the attention of one of the nurse's at the front desk. "I'd like to get tested to see if I'm a blood match for a patient named Kailyn Martin."

"Okay," the nurse said as she began to type on he computer.

"What? Maura, what are you doing," I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her to face me.

"One moment, ma'am. I'll have Dr. Ronsen's attending take you to one of our rooms," the nurse said as picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Maura," I panicked.

"I just want to see if I'm a match. I need to do everything I can to keep her healthy. She's family."

I sighed and ran a hand through my hair to keep from crying. I worried if Maura wasn't a match, it would crush her. If she was a match, I knew from that statement she would gladly give up a kidney to save her sister's life. Though I understood her decisions, and I knew I would make the same choices given the same situation, I knew I also knew I didn't want to lose my best friend either.

The nurse hung up.

"Ma'am," she called to Maura.

Maura turned to look at the nurse.

"Nurse Andrews is on her way down. She'll get you tested shortly."

"Okay. Thank you," Maura smiled at the nurse.

The nurse nodded before she went back to work.

"Maura," I softly called to her.

She gave me her undivided attention.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, if you're a match..." I trailed off.

"Yes. I want to do this."

Though she always spoke with certainty, I'd never seen her so sure of something in life until that moment. I stared into big, beautiful eyes and made my own decision.

"Then I'm gonna support you. No matter what, I'm gonna be here for you...okay?"

She nodded.

"Thank you," she slowly started to smile.

* * *

Hope, Maura, and I sat in the waiting room while the doctor retrieved the test results.

Maura rested her head on my shoulder as we sat side by side. I held her hand as she tried to relax and occasionally ran my thumb in a circular pattern over the back of it to soothe her.

It seemed to work until the doctor came into view.

Both Hope and Maura shot up and met the doctor halfway.

I slowly got to my feet and took small, deliberate steps toward the three of them.

"What's the news," Hope asked.

"Well, Doctor, you're a match-"

"Then what are we waiting for. Prep me for surgery."

"But there's a problem with your health as well."

"What?"

Hope looked beyond surprised.

"I've done nothing but take care of myself for the past few years."

"Have you traveled overseas recently?"

"Yes, for the last twenty or so."

"In that time you've been exposed to several illnesses of other regions. Illnesses we haven't perfected antibodies for yet. Though you're body shows no signs of weakness, you've stabilized the infections and have nearly grown immune to them. People like you're daughter who haven't been in contact with these same infections won't be able to handle them without the medicine I assume you provided yourself."

"I have more. I can give you more," Hope started to plea.

"She's in too weak a condition for us to try anything that danger in fear that her other kidney may shut down if exposed to too many different medications."

"Then what am I supposed to do? My daughter will die without another kidney and by the sound of it, she doesn't have time to wait on a transplant list!"

"Well, there's good news. Doctor Isles is also a match."

"What?"

Hope quickly turned to Maura.

"You had yourself tested," she asked.

"Yes," Maura replied after a moment. "I had to do something. I...feel so close to you and now your daughter. I had to try."

"Well, thank you, but I can't let you give up your kidney for my daughter. We've only known each other a few weeks. It would be selfish of me to ask you to."

"Let me do this, Hope," Maura took Hope's hands in hers. "She needs the kidney and I'm a match. You said it yourself. She doesn't have time to wait on a list."

Hope stared at her as she contemplated her morally conflicting choices.

"Let me do this," Maura repeated.

* * *

_**Thank you so much for reading. Again, please let a review so I can know your likes and dislikes. Let me know what you think. :)**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Thank you so much for sticking with me. You might notice I changed the spelling of Cailin's name because apparently that's how you spell it. I'm not going to go back and fix the spelling in the last two chapters though because 1. that would mean having to re-upload and 2. I personally like my way of spelling it better. ;) Anyway, here's the latest. Enjoy.**_

* * *

Maura sat on the edge of Cailin's hospital bed with a concerned expression on her face. She leaned over and waited for Cailin to come to.

Cailin's eyes slowly opened and she took a deep breath.

"Mom," Cailin asked no louder than a whisper.

"No, it's Maura," Maura nervously answered.

"What's wrong with me?"

"Well," Maura slowly started to explain. "You're experiencing all the symptoms of kidney failure. The doctors are about to prep you for surgery so you can receive a donor kidney."

"I thought there was a list or something," Cailin hazily inquired.

"You didn't need to be put on the list. They found a match for you."

"My mom?"

"There were...complications preventing her from being a viable donor."

"Then...who's kidney am I getting?"

Maura took a deep breath and sighed.

"Mine."

"What? No. That's not fair to you."

"Please. I want to do this. I have to do this."

"And...what did my mom have to say about this?"

"She doesn't like the idea, but I convinced her it was the only way to restore your health."

"Why are you doing this," she finally asked.

"I-I... my friend Jane."

"She told you to do this?"

"No, no" she shook her head. "If there's one thing I've learned from Jane, it's that family protects one another and they're always there for each other."

"You hardly know me. Why would you feel that way?"

"Because...you _are _my family."

"What do you mean?"

Maura stared at Cailin for a moment and said nothing.

"It's a long, complicated story. The important thing is that...I'm not going to leave you."

Outside the hospital room door, Hope stood in shock. Frozen in disbelief, she tried her hardest not to yell or cry or barge in on their moment. She could only use her fleeting strength to turn and run.

She fast walked toward the exit and ran into Jane in the hall.

"Whoa,"Jane said as she caught Hope and held her at arms length.

Jane attempted to make eye contact with her, but Hope only looked at the ground as tears began to fall down her face.

"What's the matter," Jane asked with concern.

Hope shook her head.

"It makes sense...but it _doesn't _make sense. How could she...?"

Jane quizzically stared at Hope and slightly shook her head.

"You," Hope looked directly at Jane. "You're her best friend. You must have known."

"Know? What are you..."

Jane tailed off as she put the pieces together.

"How long have you known she was my daughter," Hope almost frantically asked.

"Wha- Did she tell you?"

"No, she didn't have to."

"Oh, no," Jane looked as though she was about to cry out of sympathy. "Hope-

"Paddy told me she died. All these years and my baby was out there."

"She didn't know how to tell you," Jane tried to defend Maura.

"And now? Now both of my daughters are at risk for leaving me. I can't...I can't handle this," Hope's eyes widened as she tried to compose herself.

She took a moment to sniffle before she continued to make a bee line for the stairs.

Jane watched Hope push open the door to the stairs and wipe away a tear before it could fall.

Jane closed her eyes and slowly spun around on her heels. She faced the room and hesitantly entered as she opened her eyes.

* * *

I stared at Maura as she sat beside Cailin. I looked her over as she briefly smiled at Cailin and patted her hand.

"I've got to go talk to the doctor myself and get ready to give you a kidney," Maura said as she removed herself from the bed.

"I'm in no position to argue about the kidney," Cailin started. "So...when I get home, we need to talk about this family thing."

"Okay," Maura nodded.

She turned her back on Cailin and noticed me in the doorway.

"Hey," I tried to keep my voice steady. "How're you feeling?"

I ran a hand down her arm as she walked in the hallway.

"Good. A little nervous. I mean, I've never done this sort of thing before. Do you think I can do this? There are so many things that can go wrong in surgery and then there's the chance that Cailin's body will reject my kidney regardless of the match-"

"Maur- Stop. Everything will work out. Just breathe, okay?"

I rubbed her shoulder for a second or two before she took a deep breath and nodded.

She walked into me and wrapped her hands around my back.

I followed her lead and hugged her. We stood in each others' embrace for a few moments before she broke away and faintly smiled at me.

"Thank you," she said.

I smiled back, practically glowing.

"I'd better find the doctor."

"Okay," I softly started. "I'll be here when you get out." Her smile widened as she stared me for a moment.

"Okay," she quietly said before she turned and headed down the hall.

I wanted to tell her about Hope, but Maura seemed set on giving up her kidney for her sister so I didn't want her to hesitate.

I watched her walk away and thought about things I probably shouldn't have thought about. Like, _What if she didn't make it out of the surgery?_ _What if I don't get to see her smile anymore? What if I lose my best friend?_

Thinking like that never did anyone any good.

I sighed and headed to the waiting room. When I got there, a few others sat with worried expressions while some flipped through magazines or slept.

The walls were baron and white. They didn't calm my nerves and the sheer sight of the forest green cushions on the chairs raised my anxiety level to a threat-zone red.

I took one look around the room as I rubbed the scarred backs of my hands and frowned. I couldn't leave Maura, but I didn't want her to go through with the surgery because she was right. Plenty of things could go wrong and I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to know my best friend would be there to grow old with me.

I wanted to know my best friend would comfort me in the middle of the night if I was scared or sad or lonely. I wanted to know my best friend would say, "I love you" until it made me smile when I felt insecure. I wanted to know that I could always wake up to Maura on Sunday morning and bask in the warm glow of her beauty.

Wait, I thought. Do best friends think like that about each other?

I didn't know what had come over me in that moment, but the fear of losing her brought out feelings I never knew I had. Instead of trying to figure out those new feelings of mine, though, I focused on the task at hand: supporting Maura no matter what the circumstance.

So I sat somewhat patiently in the waiting room as I jiggled my leg up and down and bit my nails. Then a memory blazed across my brain from the back of my mind to the front.

_Maura liked rules. She liked to be proper and always acted like a lady. That day was different, however. _

_Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Maura Isles sat on top the kitchen counter, her ass firmly planted against the decorative marble. I couldn't believe it when I first saw it, but within a matter of seconds, I got used to the idea of seeing her do things like that more often. _

_Her hair was down. Her curls gracefully fell across her shoulders and rested gently on her breasts. Her honey blonde hair appeared as soft and delicate as a feather, but I then I guess it always looked that way._

_Her legs were crossed at her ankles and she smiled in a way that accented her cute dimples. Her palms were flat against the edge of the counter and she watched me attempt to make us dinner._

"_I'm not very good at this," I laughed as I awkwardly held a pan over the stove. _

_The pan was in mid-air and I made sure to stand a safe distance away from it in case the grease decided to jump up and burn me. _

_Unlike Maura, my hair was in a messy bun that I usually reserved for running and I wore a loose fitting charcoal gray T-shirt. And while Maura flaunted her spectacular legs in a particularly tight dress, I went with a rolled-out-of-bed look with a pair of black mesh shorts that reached my knees._

_The night before had been a rough one. Maura had asked me to stay over, but when I asked why, she wouldn't give me an answer. I stayed without a reason anyway and made myself comfortable in the guest room. _

_That is until I woke up to a loud scream that caused me to sit up with panic and reach for my gun. _

_When I opened the nightstand drawer, I was surprised to find my gun wasn't there. Then I remembered where I was._

"_Maura," I had called out to her as I threw off the bed sheets. _

_I raced down the hall and rushed into her bedroom without a single weapon. _

_I turned on the light to find her staring at the wall with wide eyes as she panted and tightly clutched her sheets. _

"_What is it? What's wrong," I quickly asked._

_She gulped and shook her head._

"_Maura?"_

_I started to lose the strength, the firmness, in my voice. The longer I looked her over, I felt less and less like a detective and more like a worried friend. _

"_I just...it was a really bad dream. I couldn't...I can't..."_

_She trailed off as she continued to stare scared at the wall across the room. _

"_It's okay," I cooed as I rubbed her arm. "Like you said, it was a bad dream, all right? Nothing to get worked up about. It's not real."_

_She took a deep breath and blinked before she turned to face me. _

_She looked up and we locked eyes. _

"_It felt real," she confessed._

"_Well, it wasn't. Trust me," I smiled to help ease her into a lighter mood. _

_I looked over at the unoccupied side of the bed, the side I preferred to sleep on with or without another person in bed with me. It felt right so I crawled across the bed and sat beside her for a while. _

_I rubbed her back as she started to relax. A few deep breaths and she almost looked like her normal self. _

"_I'm gonna stay in the room with you, okay?"_

_She looked straight at me and nodded._

"_Okay," she softly spoke. _

"_Just lay down and think about useless facts," I suggested as I laid down by example. _

_She slowly followed my lead and laid down like I'd said. _

"_Now tell me something you find fascinating so I can show off to Frost and Korsak that I'm smarter than them in the morning," I smiled. _

_Maura smiled back as she turned her head to face me._

"_Or we could tell each other three things we like about the other."_

"_Oh, daring. I like it," I teased._

_She chuckled._

"_You go first," I said._

"_Okay. Um, even though I don't approve of your manners, I like that you're bossy."_

"_I'm not sure I should take that as a compliment."_

"_Well, it is so accept it," she said with a large smile. _

"_Ooh, look who's bossy now. Careful, your whip is showing."_

_She laughed._

"_That's one. What's next," I said after a moment. _

"_Hmm. You're very persuasive."_

"_That's a fact, Maura. That doesn't mean you like that about me."_

"_I wouldn't have stated the obvious unless I'm simply responding to one of your requests."_

"_Fine. What's the third one?"_

"_I like that you're protective. And the way you protect people. It's...intriguing."_

"_Really," I asked in my disbelieving tone._

"_What," she lightly laughed._

"_Intriguing?"_

"_Most people that say they're protective are only willing to go so far. You would take bullets for people, you would sit by someone's side until they could relax again. You would do a lot of things that most people wouldn't to make sure others feel secure."_

"_Stalker alert."_

_She softly gasped before she reached over and pinched my arm._

"_Ow. ...That. Hurt."_

"_Your turn."_

"_Okay," I said as I reached over and pinched her bicep. _

"_Hey," she squealed. _

"_You said it was my turn."_

"_You know that's not what I meant."_

"_Okay, well, the first thing is that I like your useless facts."_

"_But you always make fun of me whenever I mention them. That's why you call them useless," she frowned._

_I smiled wide enough to show off my own dimples._

"_Yes, but I secretly love it when you start blabbering on and on about what you know, even if it's irrelevant for you to say."_

_She beamed. _

"_Second, I hate it when you cry."_

_She frowned and opened her mouth to say something, but I stopped her before she had the chance._

"_But you look beautiful even when you're broken."_

_She looked puzzled. _

"_Do I really look broken when I cry? A person can't look broken. It's physically impossible for a human being to actually _be_ broken as well."_

_I rolled my eyes. _

"_I just told you you look beautiful and you're telling me about physical impossibilities? Most women would just say 'thank you' and smile."_

_Her lips parted out of slight confusion. _

"_The third thing I like about you, but I definitely don't think is the last, is your smile. There's this lightness to it that makes me think everything's gonna work out in the end."_

_She stared at me without a single smile or even a word ready to roll off her tongue. After a few seconds, she partially smiled and rolled onto her side, her back to me. _

_My eyes wandered across the curve lines her position displayed exceedingly well. The corners of my lips curled only a little bit to reveal the smallest but clearest smile and I rolled onto my side as well. _

_I pulled myself toward the center of the bed and draped my left arm over her hip. _

"_Jane, what are you doing," she nonchalantly asked._

"_Keeping the nightmares away. I protect people in intriguing ways, remember?"_

_There was a moment of silence, but it didn't feel awkward to me. _

"_Thank you," was the last thing I heard before I drifted into the best sleep of my life at that point._

_The following day consisted of work and even though I loved work, I surprising loved cuddling with Maura more. That's why it took me all my strength to push through the case that day so I could spend more quality time with my best friend._

_And that's how I ended up making dinner. It was the only good reason I could think of to get myself into her house again. _

"_Jane, you know you didn't need a reason to come over after work," Maura explained as she continued to sit on the counter top as though she'd read my mind._

"_Uh, what are you talking about?" _

"_You don't cook and yet, you're in my kitchen trying to make food."_

"_If you know I don't cook, then why _am _I in your kitchen trying to make food?"_

_She smiled. _

"_I wanted company."_

"_Are you coming on to me, Dr. Isles," I jokingly asked as I set the pan on the stove._

"_Of course not," she playfully laughed. "Now hurry up with my food."_

_We laughed together until the food burned, but that didn't matter. We both knew we were either getting take out or Maura would have to work her culinary magic, even before I heated up the stove. _

It was only a week ago I'd kept the nightmares away. It was only a week ago that I'd laughed with my best friend, unsuspecting of the worry that would soon follow.

If something were to ever happen to her, I wouldn't know what to do. The only thing I could think of would be to hate myself for all the things left unsaid.

Please make it through, Maura.

* * *

**_Thanks for reading. You know what to do! Write me a review and make my day :)_**


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